There’s a big difference between disagreeing with someone’s methods, promises, and forecasts, and detecting actual fraud.I’m not sure that for many of the gurus we call out that fraud is so easily detected, let alone proved.  

Quote from @Thomas Santella: Quote from @Chris Seveney: @Sandrene SmartHonestly not trying to be mean but if you do not have $ for the EMD you should not be buying real estate as it’s a very cash intensive industry and you need $ for real estate I disagree, especially if it is an investment.

For a quicker overview when examining mutliple markets quickly, I recommend checking out hostscouts.com/cities.

While I can appreciate the spirit of what Collin said above, I would disagree on the not worrying about networking thing.

Seller has examined the information contained on this Data Input Form, which is attached to and made a part of the Listing Agreement and warrants that it is true and correct according to the Seller's best knowledge."

One of my clients had an issue that took months in court, expert witnesses, full title examination because the neighbor's mortgage company disputed it even though the neighbor agreed. 

So I disagree with your assertion that pre-existing lienholders (e.g., the owner of a tax lien from 2014 in your example of a 2017 tax sale) can sell the property on the courthouse steps after a tax deed has been sold.I am not a lawyer, and this is not advice.

Examining the T-12 operating statement is necessary for this purpose, since it gives comprehensive details on previous expenditures and aids in estimating future expenditures as the new owner.Verify that there are no omissions or contradictions in the statement.

Quote from @Joe Villeneuve: Quote from @Bob Stevens: Impossible to answer, if you are happy with the profit from the flip vs getting rental income then do it , There is no right or wrong answer Good Luck  There is however, always a "better" answer.I disagree, If an owner is happy with 10% 20 30% per year net, vs 100k profit in 6 months,  then who is right and who is wrong? 

The best way to do it is when you actually live on the property, ie. a double/duplex, or just renting rooms in your home.It's an entirely different set of skills from long term rentals, but I disagree that it's significantly more complicated.